ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Australia bounced back from a heavy home defeat to level the Border-Gavaskar test series at 1-1 after a comprehensive 10-wicket win in the second test against India on Sunday.
Pat Cummins took 5-57 as he bounced out the Indian lower order, with the visitors crashing to 175 all out in its second innings for a slender 18-run lead.
Usman Khawaja and Nathan McSweeney then guided Australia safely to a ten-wicket victory to ease the pressure that had been building since the hosts were humbled by 295 runs in the 1st test at Perth.
“This week we were back to our best,” Cummins said. “That’s the team that I remember and how we want to play our cricket, so really satisfying.
“I think being one down, no doubt there’s a little bit more on it trying to level up the series.”
Resuming at 128-5 in the second innings, India needed a near-miracle from Rishabh Pant to have any hope of setting a testing fourth innings target for Australia to chase.
But Mitchell Starc had other ideas, as he had Pant (28) caught at slip from the sixth delivery of the afternoon.
Cummins then got into the act using the short ball tactic against the Indian lower order to great effect.
Ravichandran Ashwin (7) was caught behind trying to pull, while Harshit Rana (0) couldn’t fend off a rising delivery and was caught at backward point.
Nitish Reddy top scored for India with 42 off 47 balls and was out caught off Cummins again trying to score quick runs.
It was the skipper’s first five wicket haul at the Adelaide Oval and went a long way to assuring Australia’s winning streak in day-night tests at the venue remained intact.
Mohammed Siraj was last man out, caught off Scott Boland who finished with 3-51 in his return to the team in place of the injured Josh Hazlewood.
None of the Indian batters passed 50 across the two innings – India previously suffered the same fate in the 2021 world test championship final against New Zealand at Southampton.
Needing just 19 runs to win the test and level the series, McSweeney (10 not out) and Khawaja (12 not out) saw Australia home safely in 3.2 overs.
“There’s definitely a way for us to get back into the game, and we need to find that within ourselves,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. “There are a lot of individuals in that dressing room who have played a lot of cricket, won a lot of games, have come back from difficult situations in the past.
“We hope that everyone stands up to that challenge and takes the team through whenever it’s required.”
India was bowled out for 180 runs in the first innings on the back of Starc’s career best figures of 6-48. Travis Head scored a blistering 140 off 141 balls to propel Australia to 337 runs in reply and take a 157-run lead.
Australia’s quicks then dismantled India’s top order in the second innings under lights to leave the match strongly in the hosts favour heading into the third day.
The teams will play a third test beginning Dec. 14 in Brisbane followed by matches in Melbourne starting Dec. 26 and in Sydney from Jan. 3.
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